HR 3953 - Aviation Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1996 - National Key Vote

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Title: Aviation Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1996

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that revises and reviews Federal Aviation Administration airport security policies and United States' policies toward terrorism.

Highlights:

  • Directs the Director of the FAA to review the adequacy of aircraft cargo inspections and to distribute commercially available explosive detection devices to airports.
  • Authorizes grants for the training of dogs and evaluation of the use of dogs for security screening.
  • Requires law enforcement at the 50 largest airports to use dogs to assist in the screening of passengers and cargo.
  • Calls for the continued development of computer-assisted passenger profiling programs.
  • Increases criminal and civil punishment for unlawful disclosure of information from a wiretap.
  • Urges the President to develop multilateral sanctions against nations that provide support for international terrorism.
  • Requires periodic criminal background checks on airline baggage screeners.
  • Assigns FBI agents to high-risk airports to review airport vulnerabilities at least every 3 years.
  • Establishes a 13 member Civil Aviation Security Review Commission to review aviation security.
  • Directs the Secretary of State to designate foreign terrorist organizations, in order to allow the Secretary of Treasury to freeze terrorists assets and the Attorney General to begin the removal of foreign terrorists and criminals.
  • Calls for an independent study on taggants in black and smokeless powder to determine whether they pose a substantial health or safety risk to individuals, assist law enforcement with investigations, impair the quality of explosive materials or harm the environment, and whether their benefits outweigh the costs.
    • Taggants are tracing materials placed in explosive materials and used to help trace information about the explosion.
  • Establishes a nine member National Commission on Terrorism to examine the United States' long term strategy in addressing, preventing, investigating, and prosecuting acts of terrorism.

NOTE: THIS VOTE WAS TAKEN UNDER A SUSPENSION OF THE RULES TO CUT OFF DEBATE EARLY AND VOTE TO PASS THE BILL, THEREBY REQUIRING A TWO-THIRDS MAJORITY FOR PASSAGE.

Title: Aviation Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1996

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